Tropical Depression 2

[ReefHound]

Sorry, I didn't mean that as a challenge, just a question. I hope the branches you were trimming were near 240/120V supply lines rather than medium voltage (~12kV) distribution lines. Years ago I knew a guy who had both arms burned off at the elbows trimming branches around MV wires.

I would never trim a tree myself. Tree trimmers did the work. The lines are in the backyard above the fence with neighbors on the next street so I'm assuming they are just a street branch.

 

[ggunn]

As climate change worsens and these storms get more and more expensive for them, they may choose to redo that calculation. We'll see.

Dr. Michael Webber agrees:
Opinion | Texas’ power grid wasn’t made for the rapid succession of storms it sees now

I have known Dr. Webber for 15 years; he is a really smart guy and he knows what he is talking about.

 

[DeltaWardog]

Great article. That last part, though.. "Regulators and rate payers often balk when rates go up to invest in a better system. So, we usually don’t spend the money and we stick with a fragile system that can fail." He stops short of saying why.

Rate payers balk because the rates go up and their service doesn't improve, or even gets worse. Those rate increases are paying stupidly high CEO salaries and executive bonuses and that's why people are pissed and don't want to give them any more money. Texas certainly isn't the only guilty party there, though. California and Hawai'i are two other recent high profile examples of deferred maintenance that got people killed, while profits lined pockets.

 

[ggunn]

Great article. That last part, though.. "Regulators and rate payers often balk when rates go up to invest in a better system. So, we usually don’t spend the money and we stick with a fragile system that can fail." He stops short of saying why.

Rate payers balk because the rates go up and their service doesn't improve...

Electrical service either works or it doesn't; when improvements to infrastructure are made it is hard for ratepayers to tell on a day to day basis that their service has improved while it is apparent every time they pay their bills that the cost of it has increased.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Electrical service either works or it doesn't; when improvements to infrastructure are made it is hard for ratepayers to tell on a day to day basis that their service has improved while it is apparent every time they pay their bills that the cost of it has increased.

This is exactly why I said in an earlier post that you will either pay now or pay later. At some point, we (meaning electrical customers) all pay. Either in higher rates now for improved, hardened infrastructure, or later with frequent and sometimes extended outages and higher repair costs. It's the old adage of frequently being "penny wise and pound foolish". Frequently we all tend to be short-sighted and don't want to pay for investment in improvements that will raise rates but deliver long-term, often unseen benefits. It can be a tough sell, but when it comes to the power grid, it is frequently the right way go.

 

[ggunn]

This is exactly why I said in an earlier post that you will either pay now or pay later. At some point, we (meaning electrical customers) all pay. Either in higher rates now for improved, hardened infrastructure, or later with frequent and sometimes extended outages and higher repair costs. It's the old adage of frequently being "penny wise and pound foolish". Frequently we all tend to be short-sighted and don't want to pay for investment in improvements that will raise rates but deliver long-term, often unseen benefits. It can be a tough sell, but when it comes to the power grid, it is frequently the right way go.

Of course, but perception is everything. The typical electrical customer will not remember when a storm hit and the power stayed on, but when there was a storm and the power went out, everyone who was affected will remember. As you say, paying for infrastructure hardening through rate increases is a tough sell.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Normally the infrastructure can get changed when the existing infrastructure is at end of life. It is planned project. Replacing a infrastructure not at end of life is a double wammy. The customer would pay for the existing infrastructure as well as paying for the new infrastructure. Cost get passed down to customer based upon the expected life of system. Our electric bill has a cost for infrastructure listed as transmission of $~35 a month. If they were to rip out all the overhead and put it underground and the old system was not near end of life I would pay the $35 plus the cost of the new system. It would be closer to $100 a month just for infrastructure cost without using a KW of electricity.

My housing neighborhood is relatively new and we have "specials". We had to pay for our utility installation (UG water, gas, sewer and electric) on top of the infrastructure cost. We pay roughly $1000 a year per house for 25 years for our neighborhood utility installation when the neighborhood was built (we are in year 16) on top of comercial infrastructure cost. That is a fresh install, cut and cover. Not having to install next to already installed utilities that make installing new infrastructure a challenge. Outside our neighborhood the distribution is still on poles and we suffer outages when that goes down.

Yes, having all utilities UG is ideal. It would take decades to accomplish in the scale of a city.

We have a generator transfer switch connection to our main distribution panel where we can cutover to a portable generator or use Comercial power. We have a small 8KW portable generator that we can limp along during outages but I have to load shed my water heater and hottub to allow the rest of the house to operate.

 

[ggunn]

Drat the luck! We were on Cozumel from June 18 until July 2, and during that time there were THREE tropical weather events. Our first day there the port was closed because of what became TS Alberto, midway through our stay a tropical wave came through that closed the port for two days, and then we got out right before Beryl came through. Since then, nothing.

Frowny face emoji.

 

[DandyDon]

Frowny face emoji.

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[ggunn]

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Egg-zactly.